Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance

About the role

Lead the company’s food safety and quality strategy across retail stores and production facilities, establishing standards, priorities, and long-term improvement initiatives.

Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, preventive controls, and all applicable state and local food safety regulations.

Oversee regulatory inspections, internal audits, third-party assessments, incident investigations, and corrective action programs to ensure sustainable resolution of risks.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain quality assurance standards that protect product consistency, specification integrity, labeling accuracy, and overall brand expectations.
• Partner closely with Operations and Production leadership to drive practical, consistent execution of food safety and quality standards across all locations.
• Maintain an active field presence to assess operational risk, coach teams, reinforce accountability, and support continuous improvement efforts.
• Establish food safety and quality expectations for suppliers, vendors, co-manufacturers, and private label partners, including onboarding and ongoing compliance requirements.
• Oversee supplier audits, product specifications, ingredient integrity, labeling compliance, and corrective action processes to ensure safe and compliant products.
• Develop and deliver food safety and quality training programs that build knowledge, accountability, and operational consistency across the organization.
• Use audit results, operational trends, and performance data to identify risks, improve processes, and strengthen food safety and product quality programs.
• Lead and develop the Food Safety & Quality team while partnering cross-functionally with Operations, Merchandising, Supply Chain, HR, Legal, and Executive Leadership to support growth, new initiatives, and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Education & Experience: Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Safety, or related field. 8–12+ years of progressive experience in food safety, quality assurance, or regulatory compliance.
• Experience: Supporting both multi-unit retail operations and food production/manufacturing environments; leading food safety programs across multiple locations or facilities; experience with HACCP, preventive controls, sanitation programs, and regulatory inspections; experience with product labeling, nutritional compliance, and allergen management; proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence without direct authority; experience in a working leader role with both strategic ownership and hands-on execution preferred.
• Knowledge: Deep knowledge of food safety regulations and standards (FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, preventive controls); strong understanding of retail food operations and production/commissary environments; ability to translate strategy into practical, scalable execution across diverse locations.
• Certifications: Possess a current state driver’s license and valid insurance with the ability to travel to business locations as needed. HACCP Certification, Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), Certified Food Safety Manager (e.g., ServSafe or equivalent), SQF Practitioner or other GFSI-recognized certification (preferred for production environments).

Benefits

• Medical & Dental insurance with Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options.
• Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP).
• 401(k) plan options – we also match up to 20% of the first 5% contributed.
• Competitive Paid Time Off (PTO/Vacation).
• 10% employee discount on grocery items, with additional franchise-specific discounts available at company-owned Ace Hardware, Caribou Coffee, Erbert and Gerbert’s, and Pet Supplies Plus locations.
• Additional Voluntary Benefits – such as vision, accident and critical illness insurances.
• Adoption Reimbursement, Paid Family Caregiver Leave, as well as company-sponsored Term Life Insurance.
• Get Paid Daily with DailyPay – for employees who would like access to their pay before payday, we offer this great benefit!
• Paid Military Leave.
• Employee recognition programs with monetary rewards, including in-store vouchers, years of service, and employee of the month.
• Employee Health & Wellness Programs, Challenges and Resources – to assist our team members in living a life of wellbeing!
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – unlimited phone access to legal, financial, and work-life services and up to five free in-person counseling sessions, per situation/issue, per year.
• Access to a national discount marketplace for travel, electronics, auto/home insurance, entertainment and more!
• Tools, resources and opportunities for career growth and development.